Growing Up
by quietthinker
Summary: Life is never easy at fourteen. It gets even harder when love is thrown into the mix. COMPLETE.
1. The Dream

**Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

**Author's Note: Everyone isfourteen except Sheen, who is sixteen.**

Jimmy spun his chair around and put down his screwdriver. He lifted the safety glasses off of his eyes and placed them on his workbench. He stared at the monitor displayed above his main computer. He could see Cindy standing outside of his lab, impatiently tapping her foot against the ground. He couldn't help but smile as he saw her flip her hair.

He kicked the ground and rolled his chair over to the main computer. He grabbed the microphone and kept his eyes glued to the monitor. "What is it, Cindy?" he gently asked. He was in too good of a mood to argue with her today.

Sensing the kindness in his voice, Cindy decided to hold back her sarcastic remark. "We've got to finish up our history project, Neut-... Jimmy. Can I come down?"

Jimmy smiled even wider. When Ms. Robbins had assigned them together for the history fair last month, he had anticipated another Oozy Scab incident. But after all that they had been through together since the beginning of the school year, they found that they could act civil when the situation called for it. And even though he would never admit it to her, he had actually enjoyed spending some time with her alone.

"Sure, come on in," he said while pushing a button.

Several moments later Cindy walked in. She glanced around her as she walked into his lab. She had been in there before, but the wonders of his laboratory never ceased to amaze her. She walked over to Jimmy at his workbench and peered over his shoulder. "What are you working on?"

Jimmy twisted a few more screws in and put the screwdriver down again. "Just repairing some old inventions. You know, the usual."

Cindy just nodded her head and watched as he turned to face her. He casually moved his head up and down. "You look nice," he casually told her.

Jimmy jumped off of his seat and started walking to the room where their project was stored. Cindy just shrugged and followed him. "So, you think we can get this done today?"

Jimmy just nodded as he held the door open for Cindy. "It shouldn't take us more than an hour. Then we're meeting the rest of the gang at the Candy Bar, right?"

Cindy just nodded and took a seat next to Jimmy beside their project. For the next hour they worked in silence, putting the final touches on their project. After they were complete, they took a few steps back and admired their handiwork.

"Well, it actually turned out pretty good," Cindy said while nodding her head.

Jimmy took a quick glance at her before responding. "Hard to believe Cindy Vortex and Jimmy Neutron worked together on a project, huh?"

Cindy glanced towards him. Their eyes connected. "Yeah. Even harder to believe we both came out of it alive."

"Crazy how things work out, huh?" Jimmy said while smiling at her. He saw her blush and look down at her shoes as their eyes connected.

Cindy smiled as she looked back up at Jimmy. "I guess, sometimes, things don't really work out the way you expect." She slowly closed her eyes and moved her head closer to his.

Jimmy's smile turned into a more serious expression as the gap between them shrank. "Yeah. I guess not," he said before he felt a shiver of pleasure coarse through his body.


	2. The Reality

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters. I also do not own the _Blink-182_ song _Feeling This, _whose lyrics are in this chapter.**

"3...2...1...Blast off!"

Jimmy fell out of his bed and rubbed his head. He looked around, expecting to see Cindy nearby. His face sunk as he realized that he was just in his room. He slammed his fist into his alarm clock, cracking the glass. He angrily grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom.

He let out a sigh of relief as he felt the warm drops of water flow onto his head in the shower. He smiled a little as his radio crackled to life on the counter. "And welcome back to AOJN, rolling those Monday blues away. Hope this next song will perk you up while you wait for your coffee."_I gotta regret right now! I'm feelin' this!_

_The air is so cold and null! I'm feelin' this!_

_Let me go in her room! I'm feelin' this!_

_I wanna take off her clothes! I'm feelin' this!_

_Show me the way to bed! I'm feelin' this!_

_Show me the way you move! I'm feelin' this!_

Jimmy groaned and briefly jumped out of the shower, just long enough to turn the radio off._ Yeah. That's exactly what I need to hear right now._

So Jimmy went on with his morning routine. Dress, eat, brush, pack, run. He both cringed in fear and smiled in delight as he saw the blonde-haired girl walking towards him.

"Morning Cindy," Jimmy said as cheerfully as he could.

Cindy yawned and checked her watch. Ten minutes until the bus comes. _Just perfect. _"Just shut it, Neutron. I'm not in a mood right now."

Jimmy twitched his lip a little at Cindy's crude remark. Three years ago he would have come up with a snide comeback, but who had the energy anymore? He didn't even bother to keep his feelings a secret anymore. Except to the one person that mattered.

Jimmy sighed in defeat. He had known since he was eleven that he felt something for Cindy. If anything, he had expected them to grow closer as they got older. After all, they were supposed to be maturing, right?

But in fact it was just the opposite. As they grew older, Cindy seemed to resent Jimmy even more. Hormones, the desire to be the best, her mother, all of these things contributed to her hatred of Jimmy._ I should have seen it coming. If she was that pissed all the time in fifth grade, I should have realized she'd be ten times worse when puberty kicked in._

"Hey guys!" Sheen shouted as he ran up to the group. Libby was holding his hand and skidded to a stop beside Sheen. 

"Morning," Cindy and Jimmy both mumbled.

"Aw, what's the matter? Come on you crazy kids, perk up!" the sixteen-year old Sheen excitedly said.

Jimmy couldn't help but grin a little. He had thought Sheen was crazy before, but when he had started drinking coffee, well...

"Where's Carl?" Libby asked.

As if on cue, a thin, muscular, red-headed kid drove by in a cherry red convertible. His hair flew in the breeze, his right arm wrapped tighyly around a cheerleader's waist.

And once that guy drove by, Carl ran up to his friends. "Hey guys!" he shouted, gasping for breath.

Just then the bus drove up. Jimmy cringed as the onslaught of spitballs and wadded pieces of paper collided with his head. He turned his head away as he saw Cindy take a seat next to Nick.

"Hey Jimmy," Betty sweetly said as the boy genius walked by.

"Hey," Jimmy said in a monotone voice while continuing towards the back of the bus. Sheen took a seat in the front with his girlfriend. Only Carl sat by Jimmy's side.

"Something wrong?" Carl asked while taking a bite out of his granola bar.

Jimmy thought for a moment. "No, Carl. Nothing's wrong."

Carl followed Jimmy's gaze and noticed Cindy sitting a few rows ahead of him. He jerked towards her with his thumb. "Her again?"

Jimmy, in no mood to argue, simply nodded his head. Carl sympathetically patted his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry buddy, it'll be alright. Everything will work out."

Jimmy clenched his teeth and tossed Carl's hand off of his shoulder. "No. No it won't! I'm sick of everyone saying that! You, Sheen, Libby, even my damn parents! It's not going to be alright! For three years I've dreamed about her, wanted nothing more than to kiss her, stoke her cheek, run my hands through her golden hair. Do you know what it's like, Carl? To hope for the unattainable? To yearn for something you know you can never get?"

Carl shook his head, a little scared of how Jimmy was acting.

"No. Of course you don't. It's not going to be alright, Carl. And do you know who's fault it is? It's not her mom's for hating me. It's not hers for being mean to me. It's mine! We were so close, Carl. So close in fifth grade. We held hands, we were friends, I kissed her cheek for God's sake! And I never pursued it!"

"And now it's too late. We're barely friends. The only reason she even talks to me is she likes Libby, Libby likes Sheen, and we like Sheen."

Jimmy paused a moment and stared Carl angrily in the face. "So don't you dare tell me that everything is going to be alright! Don't you dare lie to me! I missed my chance with her. And now I'm going to regret it the rest of my life."

The fire in Jimmy's eyes was quenched by the single tear that rolled down his cheek.

"I screwed up, Carl. And there's no way I can fix it."


	3. A Bad Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

Jimmy angrily hopped off of his seat and walked to the exit of the bus. He shoved the door open and jumped out before it had pulled to a complete stop. Ignoring the bus driver's yelling, he jammed his hands in his pockets and continued towards the high school.

Cindy stood up a little from her seat and stared after him. "Jeez, what's his problem?" she asked her best friend.

Libby opened her mouth to answer, but she just rubbed her temple and shook her head, not believing her friend's ignorance.

Jimmy blew past the teachers in the hallway and headed into the bathroom. He slipped his backpack off his shoulders and threw it across the room into the wall. He cursed himself as he heard his walkman smash.

He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. He turned on the cold water and splashed some onto his face. After a few more seconds of this he grabbed a paper towel and wiped the water off of his face. When he lifted his head up he noticed two figures standing behind him.

He spun around and saw two seniors glaring evilly at him. "Great," he mumbled under his breath. "Excuse me," he said while trying to walk between them.

"And where do you think you're going?" one of the seniors asked while pushing Jimmy backwards.

"Class," Jimmy calmly said while trying to get past them again.

"Oh, really?" the second guy asked while peering over his friend's shoulders.

"Shut up," the first senior said, momentarily taking his eyes off of Jimmy.

Jimmy clenched his teeth in anger. _I am so not in the mood for this right now._ "Ok, here's the deal. I'm not having a good day. I swear to god I'll slit you guys' throats if you don't let me out the damn door! So either shut the hell up or do whatever you have planned!" Jimmy shouted.

Ten Seconds Later

"See ya, freshman!" the senior said while leaving the bathroom.

"Yah, see ya!" his friend shouted.

"Will you just shut up?" Jimmy heard the first guy say as they headed down the hallway.

Jimmy groaned and picked himself out of the garbage can. _Well, I saw that coming._ Jimmy took a moment to brush the debris off of his shirt to before heading out into the corridor.

Jimmy looked up from the floor. Cindy was leaning against the wall in the hallway. He was surprised she was still here, she was normally the first to get to class. And here she was, standing in an empty hallway two minutes before the bell rang. "How much did you see?" he asked. He expected to see the softer side of Cindy after what he had just been through.

Cindy just laughed while shifting the weight of her backpack. "Well, I came here in time to hear your big speech. Nice job, by the way. I can see it worked wonders for you!" she said while turning around and heading towards her class. "See you later Nerdtron!"

Jimmy sighed and slammed his head against the wall. "It's my fault. Why do I expect her to suddenly change into this nice Cindy? You think I'd know better by now," he mumbled.

He slung his backpack over his should and took a deep breath. "Well, at least this day can't get any worse." Suddenly the bell rang. "Of course," he sadly said before heading to class.


	4. It Gets Worse

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

Jimmy continued through the hallway and down the staircase to the basement. He stopped as he approached his chemistry classroom's door. He peeked through the window and saw that his teacher's back was to the class. _Alright. Maybe this day won't be so bad after all._

Jimmy slowly opened the door and sneaked inside. He took a seat, thinking he was in the clear. He shot his head up when he heard the teacher call his name.

"You're late, Mr. Neutron. Detention," Mr. Ferguson said without turning around.

Jimmy sighed and laid his head against the table. He felt a painful sensation on his forehead.

Libby bent over from her book and peered down at him. "Jimmy, he was doing an experiment with acid on this table before class started."

Jimmy lifted his head off and bit his lip to keep from shouting in pain. _Of course he did._ After a few seconds passed he glared angrily at Libby. "Thanks. I didn't notice."

An hour later, the class was quietly murmuring amongst themselves. They had finished all of their work, and Mr. Ferguson had given them free time for the rest of class. Jimmy sighed and rested his head in his hands.

"Do you think I'm wasting my time, Libby?" he asked the girl next to him.

"Hmm?" Libby quietly asked.

"I mean, I might have had a shot a few years back. But we were eleven! How were we supposed to handle a relationship back then! We were just kids!" Jimmy told her.

"Right," Libby said.

"And now she hates me! And who can blame her? I acted like a total asshole back then. I was a show-offy jerk, as I believe she put it."

"Absolutely," Libby agreed.

Jimmy cast her an evil glare, but continued ranting. "Why shouldn't she hate me? She was the best in school before I came along, and I stole that from her. You're always telling me how her mom pushes her to be better than me. That can't make her like me any more. It's hopeless." Jimmy paused and thought for a second.

"Oh my god. I'm one of those pathetic nerds who is so diluted that they pine after a cheerleader. I'm Urkle. Oh my god, I'm Urkle!" Jimmy was on the verge of hysterics now.

"Tell me I have a shot, Libby. Tell me I have a chance in hell. I don't care if it's the truth, lie! Lie to me, Libby! Tell me I have a shot!" he crazily shouted.

"No way! That could never happen!" Libby said. Jimmy stared at her, tears forming in his eyes. Libby slammed her cell phone shut and turned to face him. "Sorry, were you saying something?"

Jimmy just stared at her with a look of disbelief on his face before slamming his head back onto the desk.

Libby stared at him with a look of concern. "Jimmy, you know there's still acid there..." she started to say.

"I know!" Jimmy angrily yelled, not moving his head.


	5. Romeo, Juliet, and the Stage Manager

**Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

As the bell rang Jimmy angrily gathered his books and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He said his goodbyes to Libby as they parted ways in the corridor.

Jimmy smiled a little as he headed towards English class. _One class down, three to go._ Jimmy opened the door and slid into the room. Unfortunately, the floor wasn't slippery, so he simply tripped and fell onto Cindy.

Jimmy stared down at the dazed girl beneath him. He smiled at her as she came to. "Uh, sorry Cind."

For a moment, a second, really, Jimmy could have sworn that she smiled back at him. The was she did back in elementary school. When they were still real friends. But it quickly transformed back intoher familiar snarl.

"Get off of me, you little freak!" she nastily shouted while violently shoving him off of her. She grabbed Sheen's hand, who pulled her up to her feet. She dusted the dirt off of her dress and stared at Jimmy, laying on the floor. She bit her lip in thought for a moment. Finally, she sighed and walked over to him.

Jimmy looked up to see Cindy standing over him, hands on her hips. She sighed and smiled a little. She bent down and stuck out her hand. "Need a hand?" she gently asked.

Jimmy nodded and grabbed hers. She hoisted him back up. They smiled at each other a moment before realizing that the other kids were watching. She shoved him, gently, into the wall.

"And if you ever do that again, you will live to regret it, Neutron!" she yelled before walking back to her seat and chatting with Nick.

"Sit down, Jimmy," Ms. Roberts said while walking into the room. Jimmy shook the confused look off of his face and took his seat next to Sheen. Jimmy looked across the room and saw Cindy flirting with Nick.

Ah, Nick. Nick had changed in many ways since fifth grade, yet was still relatively the same. He was still a rebel, still a troublemaker. Yet the teachers, the girls, everyone loved him. But he had gotten a little smarter. He was a long way from Stephen Hawking, but he was getting B's in most of his classes.

Jimmy's thoughts were interrupted by Ms. Robert's talking. "As you know, today is the day that we pick the parts for the play of _Romeo and Juliet. _We will start rehearsing tomorrow, and will perform it in a month."

Ms. Roberts strolled along the classroom, holding a hat filled with folded pieces of paper in her right hand. She gently shook them before approaching the first student.

Jimmy grimaced as he watched his classmates stick their hands into the hat. The last time they had done a Shakespearian play, Sheen had sucked the entire school into a tornado. He turned to his right and saw Cindy unfold her paper.

"Juliet," she happily told her surrounding classmates.

Jimmy's head immediately shot up. _If there is any justice in this world, if there is any sign of fate or destiny, let me be Romeo!_ he screamed inside his head. As the teacher walked up to him, he closed his eyes, trying to focus, as if that would do any good. He slowly wrapped his hand around a slip of paper and pulled it out. He wiped the sweat off of his brow and read his part. "I'm..." he happily stated, "the stage manager," he dejectedly finished.

"And I'm Romeo!" Nick shouted while winking at Cindy.

Jimmy slammed his book against his head. _Of course he is._


	6. Where They Stand

**Disclaimer:I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

**Author's Note: Even I'm confused right now, so I thought I'd clear some things up. I pictured Jimmy and Cindy like they were in fifth grade, relationship wise. Just no flirting at all and alot meaner. So basically they hang out with Sheen, Carl, and Libby. They act civil to each other at times. But they're nowhere near as close as they were back then. Ok, now on to the story.**

Jimmy was in his lab later that night, sitting over his workbench. He put down his screwdriver and spun his chair around. He glanced across the room to where he had heard a beeping sound. He looked at the monitor next to his main computer. He saw Cindy standing outside, impatiently tapping her foot. He could see her stamp her foot in anger as it began to rain.

He got up and pressed the button to let her in. A few seconds later she entered his lab and shook her head violently in an attempt to get the rain out. Jimmy shielded his face and tossed her a towel.

"Thanks," Cindy said while wiping herself off. She tossed the towel over her shoulder and took a seat on Jimmy's couch.

Jimmy reappeared from another room with a cup of hot chocolate. He handed it to her. She smiled sweetly at him and took a sip of it. "Thanks, Neutron."

Jimmy tried to hide the disappointment that came from her using his last name. "Cind, what are you doing here? I don't mind or anything, but, well, you know."

Cindy nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it's been awhile." They both stared at each other for a moment, not knowing what to say. Cindy laughed a little. "Fifth grade, right?"

Jimmy thought for a moment. "Yeah. I think that was the last time. Has it really been four years?" he said while laughing as well.

They sat in silence once more. Jimmy eyed Cindy as she took a sip from her cocoa. She noticed him staring at her. Jimmy looked away. "So what do you want, Cindy?"

Cindy put the mug down. "What makes you think I want something?"

Jimmy stared at her. "I'm a genius, remember?"

Cindy smiled and nodded her head. She was about to speak, but Jimmy cut her off. "Before you tell me, I want to know something. And answer me honestly. What happened between us?"

Cindy stared at him with a hint of confusion. "What do you mean?"

Jimmy stood up and started pacing around. "We were friends in fifth grade. Starting to get a little more. But then in sixth grade, you just, well, hated me. You just stopped being my friend. Why?"

Cindy looked intently at him. "I haven't stopped being your friend. We hang out and stuff."

Jimmy stared back at her. "Only because I'm friends with Sheen, you're friends with Libby, and Sheen and Libby are together. We're friends by association. And we're not even that! All you ever do is yell at me and pick on me!" Cindy laughed. "What's so funny?"

Cindy crossed her legs and stared up at him. "I've always picked on you! I've always yelled at you! That's what we do! That's what makes us friends!"

Jimmy just smiled in disbelief and shook his head. "Maybe when we were ten. But we were kids, Cind. Things are different now. That's not how friends treat each other." Jimmy paused and rubbed his head. He didn't even know what he was getting at.

"Ok, look. Just answer this. I just need to know where we stand. I thought I might finally be able to understand girls, but you sure proved me wrong! So just tell me this. Are you my friend?"

Cindy nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I took you for granted. For a while. And our..._relationship_...has definitely cooled down since we were kids. But yeah, I guess you're my friend."

Jimmy nodded. "So you could hang out with me without biting my head off?"

Cindy thought for a moment. "I thought you liked the whole rival thing. But yeah, I'm mature. I could be nice to you if I had to."

Jimmy took a deep breath and prepared himself for this next question. "And how do you feel about me?"

Cindy looked even more confused. "I already said we're friends."

Jimmy shook his head. "No, not like that. Like, when we were kids. Like you do Nick. Do you have...feelings for me?"

Cindy stared incredulously at him. "Why? Do you?"

Jimmy's expression turned into one of anger. "I asked you first."

Cindy stared him in the eyes. "No, Jimmy. I don't know what you feel, but I don't like you that way. Maybe when we were ten or eleven, but definitely not now."

Jimmy's heart sunk. He wanted to fall onto the ground and cry, but something told him that wasn't the best way to respond. _God, I hope I'm a good actor._ Jimmy breathed a mock sigh of relief. "Uh, good. I don't either," he said, stuttering a little between words. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't have feelings either. I mean, that was years ago. Just wanted to clear that up."

Cindy stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if he was telling the truth. She gave up, deciding it would just be easier to believe him. "Alright, good. So, friends?" she asked while stretching out her hand.

Jimmy shook it, trying to ignore the shiver of delight that touching her sent up his spine. "Friends." He paused a moment, trying to think what had brought on this conversation. "Oh, so what did you want to ask me?"

Cindy smiled at the opportunity to tell him. She pulled a packet of papers out from the pocket in her jacket. She unfolded them and handed them and handed them to Jimmy. They were some lines from the play.

"This is my big shot with Nick. I don't want to look like an idiot up there in front of him. Will you help me with my lines?"

Jimmy tried the best he could to smile. It felt like his heart was shattering into a thousand pieces. He wiped a tear from his eye, pretending to scratch his forehead. "Uh, sure. Of course I will," he softly told her.


	7. Defeat

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters. **

Author's Note: _Snowboarder9, _the first chapter was a dream. Hope that answers your question.

"You what?" Libby practically shouted across the table.

Jimmy rubbed his hands down his face. "I know, I know. Not my smartest move, huh?"

Libby shook her head in disbelief. "Definitely not." She paused to take another sip from her milkshake. "So let's recap here. You're madly in love with Cindy Vortex."

Jimmy eagerly nodded his head. "Right."

Libby continued. "She used to be your friend, but now barely acknowledges you. Yet, by some odd stroke of fate, she talks to you and says she wants to be your friend."

Jimmy nodded again. "Sounds about right."

"So now you've finally got a shot at this dream girl. She's smart, pretty, funny, kind...well, when the situation calls for it. But instead of pursing her, fighting for her, you offer to help her impress some other guy?" she asked in disbelief.

Jimmy slammed his head backwards into the booth. "Yeah, that about sums it all up."

Libby and Jimmy sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Jimmy started up the conversation again. "So, any way to salvage this mess?"

Libby brushed the hair out of her eyes and thought for a moment. "Friend answer or honest answer?"

"Honest," Jimmy immediately answered.

"Yeah, there is," Libby instructed him.

Jimmy smiled. "Seriously?"

Libby nodded. "Jimmy, we've known each other for, like, five years now. I know you and Cindy. I remember back in fifth grade. The way you two looked at each other. I knew it was just meant to be for you too. I knew it was, like, your destiny.

But destiny isn't that simple. You've got to work for it, Jimmy. You can't just lie back and admit defeat whenever there's a little obstacle. So she's forgotten her feelings about you. So what? Remind her. She loved you too much to just completely forget. So go get her, Jimmy."

Jimmy was shocked at Libby's profound revelation, but he realized she was right. He got his jacket and ran out of the Candy Bar. Libby smiled at the good job she had done. Suddenly, Jimmy rushed back in and slid by her table.

"She loved me?" he asked with a huge smile on his face.

Libby nodded her head. "Move!" she yelled. Jimmy ran back out the door.

Libby leaned back and was admiring her handiwork when the waitress came by and left the bill. She frowned as she realized she had sent Jimmy off without having him pay for his half of the check. "Shit," she mumbled while digging into her purse.

Jimmy ran back to his house as fast as he could. He stopped and walked up to his lab while pulling out yet another one of his strands of hair. He was about to go inside to figure out what to say to Cindy when he heard her voice behind him.

"Jimmy!" she shouted as she ran up to him. "I need to talk to you."

Jimmy nodded his head. "I need to talk to you too. Listen..." he started to say.

Cindy shook her head. "Sorry, but I have to tell you this first." She took a deep breath. "I don't say this a lot, especially not to you. But thanks, Neuron. You're really helping me out here. I mean, this is my big shot with Nick, you know? I don't know if I'd be helping me if I were in your shoes. I was thinking about it last night, and you were right.

I really don't know what happened. We were getting along so great at the end of fifth grade, but something just changed. And I guess we were still friends, but I kind of took you for granted. Like a punching bag. I could hit you and mess you up, but at the end of the day you'd still be there.

So, uh, sorry. _Jimmy_. I know we've kind of drifted apart over the years, but it's good to know you've got my back and we can be friends again. I really appreciate you helping me do this thing with Nick. If you ever need some help with Betty, let me know," she happily said with a huge grin on her face.

Jimmy managed to keep a straight face, but her words were killing him on the inside. Not only had she just practically confessed her love for Nick, but she had offered to help him get with Betty. Quinlan! He had been telling himself she might have been lying about not loving him before, but there was no way she would help him with Betty if she loved him. She really was over him.

Cindy's face turned to a look of concern as the seconds went by without Jimmy responding. "Jimmy? You ok?" she asked while waving her hand in front of his face.

Jimmy shook his head and stared at Cindy. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that. See ya," he said while turning around.

Cindy grabbed his arm, which made him spin back around. "Wait. What did you want to tell me?"

Jimmy was a little puzzled. "Huh?"

"You said you wanted to tell me something," Cindy reminded him.

Jimmy nodded his head. "Um, yeah. That's right."

Cindy crossed her arms and stared at him. "So, what is it?"

Jimmy cleared his throat. "Um, well..." he started to say. He sighed in defeat and motioned towards his lab. "Want to run some lines?"


	8. Starcrossed Lovers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters. I also do not own any of the lines from Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_.**

**Author's Note: _Most _of the quotes are as Shakespeare wrote them, but I think Cindy and Jimmy would ad-lib a little. **

Jimmy jumped up from his chair and stared Cindy in the eyes. "O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?"

Cindy chuckled a little and flipped her hair. "What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?"

Jimmy moved a little closer to Cindy. "The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine," he said innocently, with a hint of a smile.

Cindy smiled at Jimmy as well. "I gave thee mine before thou didst request it!"

Jimmy swung the packet of papers down towards his side and wiped his forehead. "That was great, Cindy. You're really doing a good job." He walked a few feet to the left and sat down in a chair.

Cindy followed suit and took a seat next to him. "Me? You're amazing! It's like, I don't know. It's like you're really Romeo and I'm really Juliet."

Jimmy laughed a little inside his head. "Yeah. Like that could happen," he said a little sadly.

Cindy got back up and took a swig of water from her bottle. She put the cap back on and turned towards Jimmy. "So, you want to do a few more?"

Jimmy nodded his head and jumped back up. "Why don't we do the famous balcony scene?"

Cindy nodded as Jimmy pushed a chair towards her. She stood up and looked down at Jimmy. "Is this really necessary?"

Jimmy shrugged. "Can't hurt."

Cindy flipped a few pages in her script, looked at them for a moment, and stared down at Jimmy. She cleared her throat before reading. "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" Cindy stared down at Jimmy with a look of both hope and anger in her eyes. "Deny thy father and refuse thy name!" Cindy paused another moment, a tear forming in her right eye.

Her next few words came out softly as the rear rolled down her cheek. "Or if thou wilt not, but be sworn my love, and I shall no longer be a Capulet."

Jimmy stared in awe. He remembered that it was his turn to speak and cleared his throat. He looked up at Cindy in admiration. "Shall I hear more? Or shall I speak at this?"

Cindy kneeled down on the chair and grabbed Jimmy's hand. She gently stroked it as she wiped the tear from her eye. "'Tis but thy name that is my enemy, thou art thyself not a Montague. What's Montague?" Cindy's face turned into a scowl of anger. She stood back up on the chair and turned her back to Jimmy.

"What is Montague?" she said yet again. "It is not a hand, or foot, or arm, or face! It is no part of thee!" Cindy paused to take another breath. "Oh, what is in a name?" she gently asked while spinning back around to face Jimmy.

"That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet; so Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, retain that dear perfection to which he owes without that title."

Cindy paused again and looked Jimmy in the eyes. Jimmy stared back into hers, captivated by her words. Cindy's voice got softer and more hopeful. "Romeo, wilt thou doff thy name? And for thy name, which is no part of thee, take all myself!"

Jimmy and Cindy stared at each other a moment longer. _Now or never_, Jimmy thought. He gently pushed his head forward and briefly kissed her on the lips.

Cindy's eyes stayed shut for a moment after Jimmy pulled away. She then opened them and smiled at Jimmy. "End scene," she whispered.

For a few moments longer they stood there, staring at each other. Finally Cindy stood up. "Thanks," she whispered before heading out the door. Jimmy saw her touch her lips as she left.

Jimmy smiled as he watched her leave. "My only love sprung from my only hate. Too early seen, yet know too late. Prodigious birth of love is to me that I must love a loathed enemy," he whispered before heading outside and back to his house.


	9. The Love Triangle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

"You kissed her?" Libby excitedly asked from across the booth.

Jimmy nodded and rubbed his fist against his chest. "Yep, well, sooner or later all the girls for Neutron," he said while blowing on his fist.

Libby stared at him with a smile and a cocked eyebrow. Jimmy sighed. "Or it could be just dumb luck."

Libby laughed. "Either way, I'm glad _something_ finally happened."

Jimmy nodded, but a hint of a frown came over his face. "Anyway, there's just one little hitch."

Libby nodded. "Of course."

Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I did kiss her. And she seemed to like it. But, well, it was in the script."

Libby leaned backwards and took a sip from her shake. She closed her eyes, deep in thought. "Which scene were you doing?"

"The balcony," Jimmy told her.

Libby nodded. "Very romantic. Did she suggest it? Or did you?"

"I did," Jimmy dejectedly said. "But she closed her eyes and felt her lips on the way out."

Libby nodded again. "That's a good sign." Libby and Jimmy sat in silence for a moment

Finally, Libby gently placed her shake on the table and stared Jimmy in the eyes. "Jimmy, look. She could have had sex with another guy and I'd still say there's hope. I truly believe this is meant to be for you two. I mean, come on. You're Jimmy and Cindy! You two just belong together!"

Jimmy shook his head. "I think you're living in the past, Libby."

Libby sighed and ran her hands down her face. "Come on, Jimmy. You have been in love with this girl for three, maybe four years. You don't pine for a girl that long without it being real, you know? And I know deep down, she feels the same way."

Just then Nick and Cindy came in. Cindy was laughing and holding onto Nick's arm. Libby turned to face an angry Jimmy.

"Oh yeah. She really loves me," he angrily said before storming out.

Libby slammed her head against the table.


	10. The Bride and the Tiger

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

_One Month Later_

Jimmy was standing outside the girl's bathroom, waiting for Cindy to come out. She was changing into her costume. Tonight was the big night, his class would be performing the play for their parents. Jimmy couldn't stop smiling as he thought back over the past month.

While they may not have declared their love for each other, he and Cindy had grown a lot closer over the past thirty days. They were back at the point where they were at the end of fifth grade, maybe a little more. They had run lines nearly every day down in his lab. They talked about school, their home life, and Nick. Jimmy cringed at that last thought, but shook it off as Cindy stepped outside.

"You look, just, wow," Jimmy said while eyeing her.

Cindy blushed as Jimmy kept his eyes on her. She was wearing an elegant white dress for her first scene. Her hair was curled down to her chin. She took a few steps towards Jimmy and looked up. She still couldn't get over how much he had grown since they were kids. He was a good two inches taller than her now.

"Jimmy, thanks so much. I never could have done this without you. All that time you spent helping me, just, you have no idea what it means to me. Thanks so much," she said while kissing him on the cheek.

Jimmy blushed as she kissed him. She pulled away, but stopped when he looked her in the eyes. For a moment, she felt that same feeling in her stomach she had gotten whenever she had stared in his eyes. She rubbed his cheek and kissed him on the lips.

Jimmy's eyes opened wide in shock, but he relaxed and closed them. He couldn't believe what was happening. After what seemed like an eternity, Cindy gently broke the kiss and pulled away.

She took a few deep breaths and stared up at Jimmy. "For old time's sake," she said through a wide grin. _Wow. At least now I've got some closure._

"Cindy, you're on!" Ms. Roberts shouted as she appeared from behind the corner.

Jimmy looked down at Cindy. "You're going to do great, Cind. Break a leg," he happily told her.

She just nodded and quickly kissed his cheek again. _Ok, **that** was my closure._ She turned around and ran onto the set.

Two hours later, Jimmy and the rest of his class was in their classroom, watching a tape of the performance. They were all laughing and having some food from a buffet Ms. Roberts had prepared. They had decided to throw a cast party.

Libby broke away from Brittany's conversation and headed over to Jimmy. He was standing by himself, taking a sip from his punch. His eyes were glued to the television screen. Cindy and Nick had just kissed.

Libby put her arm on Jimmy's shoulder. "You alright?"

Jimmy slowly nodded. He turned towards Libby. "Yeah. I really am."

Libby smiled as they stared at each other. They both turned around at the same time to see Nick holding Cindy's hand at the other end of the room. Cindy giggled as Nick quickly kissed her.

Libby quickly turned away and looked at Jimmy, very concerned. He seemed to be ok. "How can you watch that?"

Jimmy just chuckled a little and shook his head. "The tiger and the bride," he whispered.

"Huh?" a confused Libby asked.

Jimmy looked up and walked towards the desks. He hopped up on one and ran his right hand through his hair. "The tiger and the bride. It's a story."

Libby took a seat next to him and motioned for him to continue.

"There was this princess. She had tons of servants. And one day she fell in love with one of them. So they started to court each other secretly. Obviously, the king would not approve of his beautiful daughter dating a lowly servant.

But one day the king found out. He was enraged. He sentenced the servant to death. But the princess pleaded with him to spare his life. For days she cried and begged her father to let the man she loved live. Finally, the king relented. He said he would leave it up to fate." Jimmy paused to take another sip from his punch.

"So the next week the king was at this arena. He watched in interest as the servant was led out into the center of the stadium. In front of the poor man stood two doors. Behind one was a beautiful bride. If he opened that door, he would marry that woman. Behind the other door stood a tiger. If he opened that door, it would tear him to shreds before he could react."

Libby sat up a little straighter, a little interested by the story. "Then what happened?"

Jimmy cleared his throat and went on. "The servant was about to pick a door when he realized something. The princess, his love, surely knew what was behind each door. She could point him towards the bride. So he looked up into the stands and saw her.

Sure enough, she did know what was behind each door. But she faced a problem. This was the man she loved. If she sent him to the bride, he would be forced to marry that other woman. He would forget her and fall in love with this new woman, have kids, move on. And she would have to watch all of that, watch her love fall for another.

But if she sent him to the tiger, he would be killed. Never again would she see her love. But he would die loving _her_.

So the princess stared at the nervous man below. When her father wasn't looking, she shook her head to the left. The servant understood and opened that door."

Libby waited for him to continue, but he just sat there. "So what door did he open? The bride or the tiger?"

Jimmy sighed and jumped off of the desk. He tossed his empty cup into the trash can and turned back towards Libby.

"Nobody knows. The author stopped there. That's how the story ends, the servant opening a door."

Libby was about to say how stupid that was, but Jimmy continued his explanation. "But me, I think I know what was behind the door he chose. It had to be the bride. For if you love someone, if you truly love them, you would do anything to protect them and make them happy. Even if it meant giving them up and watch them be with another."

Jimmy wiped a tear from his eye as he looked at Nick and Cindy again. He smiled a little as he saw the smile on her face.

Libby spun around on the desk to face Jimmy. She also stared at Cindy and Nick. "So, looks like you gave her the bride," she softly told him.

Jimmy nodded. "And I got the tiger."


End file.
